Awards Shows

My editor, Ms. Ardua, is always talking about how we TV critics have to guard against elitism. And she’s right. While it’s a vital part of our job to lead people to overlooked shows brimming with creative merit, it’s important to remember that the massses flock to “American Idol,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “High School Musical,” blah, blah blah.

I’ve been thinking about that this weekend as I prepare to cover tonight’s Emmy Awards, which just might be the most elitist Emmys we’ve ever seen. Check it out: “Mad Men” with 16 nominations — is a show that attracted an average audience of 900,000 last season (“Idol” averages nearly 30 million). Then there’s “Damages,” a great show, but one that almost got canceled. And what about “Breaking Bad”? Have you heard of it? Even Tina Fey’s “30 Rock,” which gets all kinds of buzz, has the kind of mediocre ratings that would have gotten it axed in prior years.

Predicting the outcome of the Emmy Awards is always a crapshoot. Can “Mad Men” break through in the drama category? Will “30 Rock” top “The Office” among comedies? You never really know what the often clueless voters will do.

Still, every year I give it a shot — because I’m fearless, you know, and mainly because my editor makes me.

So check out the picks by clicking here and let me know if you agree or disagree. And if I bomb on Sunday, try to be nice about it.

Was it just me, or did you feel like Oscar was on sedatives last night?

Like a lot of big-time film fans, I was thrilled by the timing of the resolution to the writers’ strike. It meant we could all let out a deep cleansing breath and be treated to the awards show we so adore. With that in mind, you would think the event would be one big, raucous,Â joyous celebration.

Instead it turned out to be one of the dullestÂ Academy AwardsÂ shows in years.

Yes, it did contain some veryÂ engaging moments.Â Loved it when host Jon Stewart invited Marketa Irglova back onto the stage after she was played off by the orchestra during her acceptance speech for best song (“Falling Slowly”). That had to be a first, right? And upset winner Tilda SwintonÂ had us smilingÂ with her comments about how the Oscar statuette looked a lot like her agent (he head and buttocks are the same). Also, the adorably offbeat screenwriter Diablo Cody (“Juno”) delivered a sweet and touching thank-you that ended with tears.

Overall, however, the show seemed to be suffering from a post-strike hangover. It lacked jaw-dropping surprises. It wasÂ practically drowning in film-clip montages.Â It wasÂ woefully short on laugh-out-loud moments.Â Most of all,Â it simply failed to provide a great deal of emotional oomph.

Sadly, one of problems seemed to be the host himself. I’m a huge Jon Stewart fan and I thought heÂ merited at least a B+Â two years ago in his Oscar debut. But last night, he wasn’t the Jon Stewart we know and love. HeÂ was too gentle, too genialÂ and too, well …Â sedate. Where were the sharp barbs?Â Where were the uproarious pre-taped segments? And where, for that matter, was his buddy Stephen Colbert?

Stewart, at times, seemed more intent on cozying up to all the pretty celebs in the room (“Does this town need a hug?”) than actually entertaining the millions of us planted on our couches.

Even though the show was only 20 minutes or so over the three-hour mark,Â it felt more bloated than Eddie Murphy in “Norbit.” And Â strangely stale and limp. And who do we blame? Stewart? The writers? The winners, who failed to provide much emotional oomph?

After getting off to a good start, Stewart was servicable, but didn’t exactly set the world on fire. Can you think of one joke — or one segment — that made you fall off the couch laughing? I didn’t think so. And whyÂ didn’t he immerse himself inÂ the kind ofÂ pre-taped bits that often are the best thing about an Oscar show (Maybe the length of the writers strike prevented it).

And, oh those 80th anniversary montages! Not only are they, in many cases, worthless filler, theyÂ often underscored how boring the show was. Example:Â We see a clip of Cuba Gooding Jr. joyously, exuberantly accepting his award inÂ a vintage clip and it leaves us wondering where thatÂ kind of excitement is tonight.Â …

Producer Scott Rudin called it a “complete surprise,” but who is he kidding? “No Country For Old Men” was the easy frontrunner coming in.

And the Coens capture the hardware for best director(s). But which one is which? Ethan warms my heart by turning his acceptance speech into an acceptance sentence. “I don’t have a lot to add to what I said earlier,” he says. Bless him. We’re already over the three-hour mark and we don’t need any excess verbiage — especially since this show has us nodding off already.

Omigod, Helen Mirren just uttered the word “cajones.”Â … But let’s talk Daniel Day Lewis. No surprise here. The most obvious choice of the night.Â And that makes it a sweep for foreigners in the acting categories.